Dead Professional Wrestlers

20 Professional Wrestlers You Didn't Know Were Dead

These days, the professional wrestling industry sadly seems to lose a member of its unique fraternity just about every six months. That statistic is bleak, but it’s also roughly as accurate as it is unfortunate. Wrestling is an athletic sideshow that’s arguably as damaging on the human body as football, if not more so, except pro wrestlers have no off-season in which to heal up. It’s also an industry where, historically speaking, performers aren’t always quick to cop to an injury, nervous of losing their “spot” — and their sizable paycheck — if they do. It’s a bizarre business.

Over the past two years, three members of pro wrestling’s metaphorical Mount Rushmore — “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and The Ultimate Warrior — each sadly passed away. And then of course the world also lost “Macho Man” Randy Savage back in 2011. But aside from those global household names, here are some other ring legends who are no longer with us.

The Big Bossman

Ray Traylor, who famously wrestled under the ring name The Big Bossman, was a wildly memorable character for the WWE (then WWF) in the ‘80s and ‘90s. With a colorful corrections officer gimmick, fans likely remember this chubby-but-athletic man twirling his nightstick and threatening his opponents with “hard time.” Pro wrestling historians remember Bossman’s feuds with The Mountie, Nailz, and even Hulk Hogan himself, fondly. Traylor’s best-known character — which was inspired by a real-life stint as a Cobb County, Georgia lawman — spawned countless action figures, video game characters and even one of those plush “Wrestling Buddy” dolls from the mid ‘90s.

Unfortunately, following one last run in the WWE from 1998-2003, Traylor died in his Georgia home of a heart attack. He was just 41-years-old.

Earthquake

Many former fans of the wrestling business best remember Earthquake for the time he sat on, and then subsequently smothered and murdered, Damien, the pet snake of Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Ah, you’ve gotta love pro wrestling! ‘Quake, whose real name was John Tenta, enjoyed a lengthy career in the squared circle. While Earthquake is the gimmick in which Tenta gained the most notoriety, this former Sumo star also wrestled in World Championship Wrestling under the names Avalanche, The Shark, and then finally under his God-given name. Then there was also a super weird final WWE run in which he donned a mask as Golga — an Eric Cartman-loving monster character. Yep.

Tenta sadly passed on back in 2006 after unfortunately being diagnosed with bladder cancer.

“Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig

Curt Hennig, who many remember as WWE’s Mr. Perfect, is regarded as one of the best in-ring technicians ever to step foot inside a pro wrestling ring. He’s a bona fide legend in the eyes of those who generally value workrate and believability in the product, as opposed to over-the-top ridiculousness. Curt Hennig was as smooth and crisp in that ring as anyone who’s ever laced up a pair of boots. But as fantastic as his work in the ring was, Curt’s also remembered for being a legendary party animal. Mr. Perfect, who everyone in the industry more or less universally seemed to love, also partook in the nightlife aspect that was often associated with the business in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Hennig died of a cocaine overdose back in 2003. He was only 44-years-old. If he were with us today, many assume Hennig would be training the next generation of those who strive for pro wrestling perfection. In 2007, Curt’s longtime friend, Wade Boggs, posthumously inducted Mr. Perfect into the WWE’s Hall of Fame. It was well deserved.

“The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith

As one half of The British Bulldogs — and later as a solo act — Davey Boy Smith was always one of the more exciting performers on any card he was on. Wrestling superfans perhaps best remember Davey Boy for a simply legendary bout in 1992, in which he headlined WWE’s Summerslam, defeating his iconic brother-in-law, Bret “Hitman” Hart, to win the company’s Intercontinental Championship in front of more than 80,000 of his countrymen.

Smith went on to enjoy another near-decade of success in the industry before dying of a heart attack back in 2002. He was only 39-years-old.

Test

Despite having what’s universally regarded as perhaps the single worst wrestling name of all time — second only to Shawn Stasiak, who once wrestled as Meat — Andrew “Test” Martin had a short but memorable career in World Wrestling Entertainment. Test’s most notable storyline was when he was set to marry Vince McMahon’s daughter, and current WWE real-life Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie McMahon. Triple H, who then, yes, went on to marry Steph in the real world, thwarted the “marriage.” Again, you’ve gotta love this crazy business.

After violating WWE’s Wellness Program on multiple occasions, the company had no choice but to release Martin in 2007. Afterwards he briefly wrestled independently, but was then sadly was found dead in 2009, the cause of death eventually be ruled an oxycodone overdose.

Umaga

Between 2005 and 2009, Eddie Fatu wrestled in WWE at Umaga. Nicknamed “The Samoan Bulldozer,” Umaga quickly rose throughout the ranks of the company, so much so that in 2007, at WrestleMania 23, he was featured in one of the main events. The bout, referred to as “The Battle of the Billionaires,” saw WWE CEO Vince McMahon in Umaga’s corner, whereas Donald Trump — yes, Donald Trump — represented the Bulldozer’s opponent, the massive Bobby Lashley. Umaga was highly regarded in the ring, which should come as no surprise as he’s a member of the legendary Anoa’i family. This iconic Samoan clan produced such notable ring warriors as Rikishi, Yokozuna, current WWE stars The Usos and Roman Reigns, and even a little guy you may have heard of named Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Unfortunately for both his legendary family and his loyal fans, at just 36-years-old, Fatu died of a drug overdose in 2009.

Crash Holly

Crash Holly, real name Mike Lockwood, was just so damn entertaining during his short time in this eccentric industry. This pint-sized badass was dripping with inherent charisma. He’s perhaps best remembered for his time competing in WWE’s Hardcore Division, where for a lengthy period of time he held that championship and defended it using “the 24/7 rule.” This stipulation saw little Crash wrestling impromptu title matches backstage, but also in supermarkets and in children’s ball pits. It was absolutely goofy, but always funny.

Unfortunately, in June of ’03, just months after being released from his WWE contract, Lockwood was found dead in fellow pro wrestler Stevie Richard’s Anaheim home. He reportedly choked on his own vomit after overdosing on a prescription drug named Carisoprodol. The death was eventually ruled as a suicide.

Bam Bam Bigelow

Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow was a bona fide badass in every conceivable sense. If you’re in any way skeptical of that claim, please remember that he had his skull tattooed! Bam Bam enjoyed a storied career in the wrestling business that saw him maul fellow humans in WWF, WCW, Japan, and then later in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where the Bammer reinvigorated his career by battling against a new generation of violent wild men. But aside from driving “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz through the ring — literally — in the ECW area, Bigelow is perhaps best remembered for main eventing WrestleMania 11 in 1995. Bam Bam earned the biggest payday of his career by putting over — which is wrestling terminology for “losing to” — NFL superstar Lawrence Taylor.

Sadly, Bigelow died of a cocaine overdose in 2007 at just 45-years-old. As far as Bam Bam eventually being inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame, it’s a matter of when that nod is coming, not if.

Mike Awesome

Mike Awesome, who’s real name was Michael Alfonso, was a bit of an anomaly in the wrestling world. Though he was a heavyweight who stood well north of the six-foot mark, Awesome flew around the ring like a cruiserweight. After first gaining a modicum of success internationally, wrestling in brutal hardcore wars for Japan’s FMW promotion, Paul Heyman soon brought Awesome to Extreme Championship Wrestling, introducing this high-flying monster to the United States. Though after an industry scandal in 2000, Awesome kind of had a metaphorical scarlet letter pinned onto him for the remainder of his career. Alfonso, who was at the time the ECW champion, suddenly appeared on World Championship Wrestling’s Monday Nitro. ECW was collectively blindsided by their current flag-bearer appearing on the competition’s television show. At that point in time, the three major wrestling companies in the U.S. were more or less at war with one another, so this was seen as a big no-no in the business.

After short runs in both WCW and WWE, Alfonso was found dead by a group of friends in his Tampa home in 2007. Sadly, he hung himself. Grim, not awesome.

Viscera

This near-500lb monster, whose real name was Nelson Frazier Jr., went under several different monikers during his 15-plus year stop-and-go run in WWE. He started as Mabel, one half of the rapping tag team Men On A Mission. Then, after winning the 1995 King of the Ring tournament, Frazier became King Mabel. Then he joined The Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and morphed into Viscera, where he wrestled in what looked like a large leather garbage bag. Then years later he took it all off, shirt wise, and transformed into his final WWE character — Big Daddy V.

Sean O’Haire

Fans who followed the business during the early 2000s may remember this spikey-haired, athletic big man for his run as one of the Natural Born Thrillers, a group of young upstarts who received a considerable amount of television time prior to World Championship Wrestling closing its doors for good in 2001. After Vince McMahon purchased WCW, WWE chose to absorb a handful of talent contracts, O’Haire’s being one. Sadly, save for one brief run in which he was managed by “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, O’Haire’s stint in World Wrestling Entertainment was largely forgettable. He and the company mutually parted ways in April of 2004.

Ten years later, after trying his hand at both kickboxing and mixed martial arts, O’Haire was found dead in his South Carolina home. He had hung himself.

Paul Bearer

For any lifelong fan of the industry, this untimely 2013 death was a true heartbreaker. William Moody — who some may remember as Percy Pringle, but who most know as Paul Bearer — was a long-beloved figure within the pro wrestling business. For so many years, Paul Bearer served as the ghoulish manager to perhaps the greatest character in the history of the business, The Undertaker. Bearer’s patented creepy shriek and high-pitched howl are now legendary. Even if you haven’t followed professional wrestling in decades, you could likely still do a spot-on impersonation of Moody. Each week he’d hunch over, passionately grip the Undertaker’s urn and release a prolonged “Ooooh yeeesss!!” In an era when over-the-top, cartoon-like characters were often featured above athleticism, Paul Bearer truly shined in his role. This former real-life mortician always made the absolute most of his television time, effectively etching his way into so many of our brains forever.

In March of 2013, not long after complaining of breathing problems at a wrestling legends convention, Moody suffered a heart attack and died. He was 58-years-old. In 2014, Moody was rightfully inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame, the night before WrestleMania 29.

Yokozuna

Yokozuna, whose real name was Rodney Anoa’i, enjoyed an all-too-brief, but at the same time extremely memorable, run in the wrestling world. Though this behemoth of a man was actually Samoan — another member of the exalted Anoa’i wrestling family — Yoko was portrayed as a Japanese sumo wrestler. Anoa’i’s unparalleled size and shocking athleticism propelled him to the forefront of the industry almost instantly. After winning the 1993 Royal Rumble just months after entering the WWF, Yokozuna went on to enjoy years of success at the very top of the card, main-evening two consecutive WrestleMania’s — 9 and 10 — a feat few superstars can lay claim to.

Sadly, Yoko’s size was both his major selling point and also the cause of his tragic downfall. In 1998, after several state Athletic Commissions failed to clear an athlete of his mass to compete, WWE had no choice but to release Yokozuna from his contact. In 2000, Anoa’i passed away due to pulmonary edema. He was just 34 years old. At the time of death Yokozuna reportedly weighed nearly 580lbs.

“Sensational” Sherri Martel

Sherri Martel was one of the toughest women ever to enter a pro wrestling ring. While she served as a manager to the stars for the majority of her career, make no mistake about it, Sherri could’ve kicked so many of those guys’ asses had she wanted to. And backstage, when the cameras weren’t rolling, legend has it she was NOT someone to be messed with. While she did at one point compete herself, Sherri is perhaps best remembered for managing a litany of greats — superstars such as “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Booker T and a young Shawn Michaels. After thriving in just about every wrestling company imaginable, Sherri Martel solidified her spot as one of the most successful women ever to enter the business, an industry that has been historically dominated by men.

Sadly, in June of ’07, at 49 years of age, Sherri passed away following a drug overdose.

Eddie Guerrero

“Latino Heat” Eddie Guerrero was pretty much the perfect pro wrestler. He had no notable flaws, nor did he have many genuine peers. After being born into the business, Eddie, no doubt the most captivating member of the infamous Guerrero wrestling family, was smooth as silk in the ring. Yet he also possessed so many innate intangibles that are reserved for only the true cream of the crop in the wrestling business. Eddie was honestly remarkable in the ring, but he was also pure magic on the mic. Without so much as lacing up his boots, Eddie Guerrero could talk you into the building. He could make fans vehemently detest him, yet, if he wanted to, he could just as easily make you fall in love with him. Though names like Hulk Hogan and The Rock are remembered as some of WWE’s all-time greats — and they are — the wrestling industry as a whole widely recognizes Eddie Guerrero as perhaps the best in the business. Ever.

Sadly, after successfully battling past addictions and finding God, Eddie’s heart gave out in November of 2005. He was posthumously inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame the following year. Viva La Guerrero.

Doink The Clown

In the early to mid ‘90s, Matt Borne played the role of Doink The Clown, one of the more ridiculous characters in WWE history. And while many remember Doink as a happy wrestling clown — which is what the character eventually became — when Osborne was behind the paint, that character was anything but jovial. Borne’s Doink was actually layered, complex and rather sadistic. This was a truly creepy clown, one that stalked his opponents outside of the ring, not unlike Pennywise from Stephen King’s terrifying It.

Because WWE owns the intellectual property to the Doink character, every so often that damn clown will manifest itself in some capacity on Monday Night Raw. However, the man behind the original bone-chilling character, “Maniac” Matt Borne, sadly passed away in June of 2013. The cause of death was ruled an accidental overdose of morphine and hydrocodone.

“Ravishing” Rick Rude

Rick Rude is widely regarded as one of the all-time legit tough guys in pro wrestling history. As believable as his work was in the ring, no one dared cross “The Ravishing One” outside of the ring. This Minneapolis native is famously remembered for his entertaining mic work, where before each match he’d cleverly find a way to say not only how every woman in attendance wanted to sleep with him, but also how every man in attendance was an “out of shape sweat hog.” Rude’s ridiculous wrestling gear was equally as memorable as his promos. At one point a cartoon of the real-life wife of Jake “The Snake” Roberts was featured on his crotch. After suffering a back injury during a 1993 match with Sting, Rude was forced to retire from active competition. He did, however, return to the business in 1997, but on a managerial level, working brief stints in ECW, WWF and WCW.

While training for an in-ring return in 1999, Rude sadly passed away. An autopsy report showed he died from an overdose of "mixed medications.”

John Kronus

Fans of the infamous first incarnation of Extreme Championship Wrestling likely remember John Kronus as half of one of the most underrated tag teams of all time — The Eliminators. Teaming alongside Perry Saturn, this Boston badass would at times fly around the ring like a cruiserweight, when in actuality he was 6’4” and 250 lbs. Kronus’ work wasn’t always polished and refined, but while busting his ass in the sweaty bingo halls that ECW was known to sell out, Kronus earned the industry’s respect. In 1997, Saturn left ECW for a larger paycheck offered by World Championship Wrestling, effectively eliminating The Eliminators. Afterwards, Kronus’ career was a bit stagnant — though he did win the ECW Tag Team Championships one final time, this time alongside a new partner, New Jack.

In July of 2007, Kronus was found dead in his New Hampshire home. The cause of death was ruled as heart failure. He was just 38 years old.

Lance Cade

Lance Cade was a big, strapping competitor who seemingly had all the potential in the world. After being trained by arguably the greatest all-around athlete in WWE history — Shawn Michaels — this 6’5” Texan made his WWE debut in 2003. With a beloved Hall of Famer championing him, Cade seemed poised to navigate WWE’s political waters rather easily. He had the size. He had the skill. He had friends in high places. However, sad as it may be, Lance Cade never truly realized his potential within the industry that he loved. He did manage to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship on three occasions, alongside partner Trevor Murdoch, but many expected Cade to flourish as a singles star at some point as well. That never materialized. As innately talented as this young grappler was, he struggled with demons throughout his short career.

Lance Cade — whose real name was Lance McNaught — died on August 13, 2010. He was only 29 years old. Intoxication reportedly complicated a cardiomyopathy.

Brian Pillman

At one point billed as “Flyin’ Brian,” this Cincinnati native was one of the most innovative professional wrestlers ever to step foot in the ring. Though he was always a fantastic in-ring talent, it was when Pillman adopted his memorable “Loose Cannon” persona that he truly shined artistically. At one point, during the tail end of his run in World Championship Wrestling, Pillman infamously broke wrestling’s fourth wall. While live on Pay Per View, the eccentric wrestler acknowledged that the product was scripted, outing fellow grappler Kevin Sullivan as the company’s “booker.” which is pro wrestling vernacular for “writer.” And this wasn’t the only time that Pillman was involved in live-TV controversy. One of the wilder episodes in Monday Night Raw history ended with Pillman firing a gun at a home-invading “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Unfortunately, on October 5th, 1997, while preparing to wrestle Mick Foley at WWE’s Bad Blood Pay Per View, Pillman died. An autopsy found that a previously undetected heart condition caused a heart attack.